Lily's Changes
by Debate4life
Summary: Lily Potter resurrects a spell from Merlin's era to protect Harry. How will his upbringing change? This is not the easily manipulated savior Dumbledore hoped for. First chapter up, and more to come!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If you know it, I don't own it. Also, I owe a debt of gratitude to the fanfic authors I've read before, who inspired me to write this. Hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed their's.

Lily Potter was always a planner, a thinker. Had she been anything but Muggleborn- if the Sorting Hat had seen even a hint of doubt that she was of Muggle descent- she would have doubtless been sorted Slytherin. Instead, her courage in her personal convictions and daring to take risky steps to reap a valuable reward had gained her a spot in Gryfindor, and a school career mercifully free of the suspicions she would otherwise have been subjected to.

Lily was true to both houses in many ways, but her planning was pure Slytherin cunning. She knew her chosen career by second year- Charms Mistress working for the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, a challenging, never boring choice that would still allow for a family. She had decided on her husband before her first date. While James might be immature, he was also handsome, intelligent, well to do, and passionate about her. She could do much worse, and time would cure his major flaw.

That planning ability had seen her survive in the war longer than most of her contemporaries in the Order. Healing kits, stock piled potions and food, and a number of safe houses kept the family together and, relatively, safe. Her career and education goals were on hold, but as a war hero, she knew she would likely find pursuing those goals in the future streamlined. Of course, if the Death Eaters won...well, she would be pleased to have gone down fighting, rather than the other alternatives.

The Potter family had a plan to go into hiding already put together more than a year ago. Only a fool would fail to do so after defying the Dark Lord for a third time. With the Wizarding World increasingly unsafe, and with Lily expecting, Lily and James had decided to retreat from the world for a while. Lily didn't do half measures, so the year had been spent preparing for their absence, and ensuring that their affairs would be in order for the foreseeable future.

The prophecy newly revealed to them did not significantly alter those plans, but it did raise the stakes. It also meant the couple could no longer count on the Order for help. Most of the interpretations of the prophecy Lily could come up with required a confrontation of some kind between the Dark Lord and her son, and Dumbledore was just cynical enough to only come to the rescue when he was sure that had occurred. He hid that nature behind his kind old grandfather facade, but as someone who had hid her true nature for most of her life, Lily could see the places where the facade faded enough to allow a glimpse of his true nature.

About three months after Neville and Harry's birth starting Dumbledore's interpretation of the prophecy, Lily and James were called to Hogwarts for a visit.

Minerva McGonagall met them at the door, lips pursed in worry and concern. While Lily was more academically gifted than her husband, James was no slouch either. His natural verve for Transfiguration and carefree ways had made him one of McGonagall's favorite students, though she would never admit it. She clearly knew more than enough to fear for them.

"Right this way, dears- the Headmaster is waiting for you in his office. How's little Harry doing? Does he need anything? I suppose Sirius is waiting with him- I hope you don't come home to find him in zebra stripes."

Lily tuned out the blather as James and McGonagall relaxed into the light hearted exchanges of old friends long parted. Instead, her eyes trailed over features she had never noticed before. A small snake in the corner of that portrait- had that been there before? Was the smear of the purple slime on that suit of armour the work of Peeves, or had some new enterprising pranksters in the student population taken up the mantle left by the recently graduated Marauders?

She knew she was just distracting herself from harder questions. She was surprised as the strong sense of nostalgia she felt for these halls. Oh, to be a student again, whose biggest worry was who to date or what topic to choose for a charms project! Would she ever see these beloved halls again? More importantly, would her son ever have the opportunity to do so?

Finally they reached the Gargoyle, and an exclamation of "Peppermint Toads" brought them to the Headmaster's Office. Lily acknowledged the Headmaster's customary greeting with a nod, but refused the offered lemon drops. She listened to the small talk for a few minutes, then lost her temper when Quidditch came up.

"My son's life is in danger! To say nothing of my own, and my husband's. Right now, we left Harry with Sirius on your word that you had something important to bring to our attention, but if the most important thing you have to say is about Quidditch, I'll just be leaving now." Lily started to stand to prove her threat.

James leaned over, and guided her back down with a sympathetic look on his face. "Lily-love is right, Albus, we really need to be getting home. Nice as it is to socialize, its just not a good time right now."

Albus nodded gravely. "Yes, I called you today with you safety in mind, my boy. You see, I've come up with a plan to keep you and your son safe for the duration of this war. The Fidelius Charm is perfect for what you need. I want you and your family safe for a good, long time."

Lily interupted. "What information do you have about it?" She was ready to finish the small talk, and worried about Dumbledore's intentions with them.

Dumbledore gave her a sharp look that seemed out of place in his kind old face. "Why don't you take this book, M Carminibus Securitatem, read it over, and get back to me? I will, of course, be willing to cast it myself..."

James nodded. Lily stayed silent, and reached solemnly for the book. Meanwhile, her mind worked at why Albus was offering this solution, and what advantages it had for him to make him offer it.

It was only once she was home, had reversed the antigravity charm on the living room, and settled Harry in his crib with a spinning mobile of wolf, rat, stag, dog, and tiger lily for the evening, that she had a chance to read the book and come to some conclusions.

The Fidelius Charm was technically complex, and though Lily could cast it, she didn't believe Dumbledore was aware of that. He likely planned to cast the charm, then either convince the Secret Keeper to release the secret for the Greater Good, or betray their identity to the Dark Lord. Since the charm could only be cast on a relatively small area, Albus likely predicted that the Potter family would leave the protection of their magnificent manor. When the Charm fell, they would then be vulnerable to attack. Lily's suspicions were confirmed when the incredibly rare book Albus had provided after her request for more information about the Fidelius had crucial information 'missing'- namely, what happened when the Secret Keeper died, and the historical precedent and loopholes of the Charm. Luckily, while the details on how to perform the Charm was rare and restricted, the historical details of the Charm were not.

"The Fidelius Charm or Ward was first invented for use in protecting noncombatants, by allowing the women, children, and infirm to live even in a warring stronghold unnoticed and unmolested by enemy forces. The Charm itself is a masterwork of Arithmancy, which legend attributes as the first great working of the wizard Myrddin Emrys, who is better known by the name he took up later in life, Merlin Ambrosius. The first practical application was in hiding the young heir to the throne, Artur, with a foster family. Most early accounts of this indicate that Artur, rather than being completely unable to be detected as the more modern versions of the charm would achieve, was instead be perceived as some role that would keep him safe. This charm was not restricted to a particular area, but instead to particular people. Where illusion and memory alteration proved unable to keep the heir safe, the charm would act to protect the boy. Records note episodes as diverse as transfiguration into a fish to survive an attempted attack by fleeing across a moat, and complete immolation of an assassin.

Later applications of the charm proved it was not fool proof. The secret keeper could betray the location of the noncombatant. Unbreakable vows were found to be unable to prevent the secret from being uttered, though the vows extract the ultimate price from the Keeper after the fact. The original charm was modified to the modern version in an attempt to extend the protection to combatants as well as those who should be protected from the rigours of war, but the modification introduced new defects and quirks not believed to have been present in the original spellwork. If one of the people thus protected venture into combat, the secrecy aspects of the charm fail, even against those who have not heard the secret from its Keeper. Conversely, the protection aspects strengthen for noncombatants with the death of the able warriors of a family. Some parents have used this apparent flaw to create invulnerable children. Scholars claim that many of the greatest warriors in history have been under this, or similar, spells, though no specific anecdotal corroboration exists for this accepted academic theory.

Secret Keepers could be killed, trusting the secret to all who had heard it, until there were none in the world who had not. More tragic are cases such as Marcus Atilius Regulus. He faced voluntary death as a result of his sworn oath of parole. Trusted as secret keeper for the magical children of Rome's legions, he did not violate that trust even under intense torture. Even the parents of the children did not know their location, to better protect them from the Secret Keeper spread referenced above. When Marcus Regulus and many of his immediate servants died, the protection became so absolute that none could see, hear, or more importantly care for the children. The charm only failed upon the deaths of the children. These deaths were almost always from hunger and thirst, though some of the older children had scars from attempts at taking their lives that the Fidelius had prevented."

Lily set down the book. She worked doggedly into the night, incorporating the new information into her plans. Even though Dumbledore had likely intended for her to use the charm for his own purposes did not mean it wasn't a good idea, with some modifications. When she stood up, she knew how she could protect her son.

The original plan had been to draw up the wards of the manner around the couple, then send baby Harry, suitably cloaked from magical scrutiny, to America. His death would be announced, which should reduce the threat to the family, if it was believed. An Unbreakable Vow would prevent them from divulging the information under truth serums or will sapping potions as effectively as the cyanide pills of second world war spies Lily had drawn inspiration from. James and Lily had both accepted the risks of being a target in the war, and were willing to pay the price, provided it did not include their infant son. If the tale was accepted, or the Dark Lord focused on another target, the Potters planned to eventually execute their own plans to leave the country. If not, their own deaths would protect Harry to the highest degree that could be managed.

Lily may be by dedication a stellar student of Charms, but she was also by nature an incredible spell and potion crafter, a passion that had helped maintain her controversial friendship with Severus Snape for so long. In the history of magic text's description of both strengths and weaknesses of the modern and ancient Fidelius, Lily saw the potential of a spell that could accomplish what all the planning in the world could not: a guaranteed future for her son, the child who had come to mean more to her than any ambition or scheme.

This charm would be reverse engineered from the modern charm to the one of Artur's time for use on Harry. The only aspect of the modern charm that would be left would be the potential to strengthen the protection aspects of the charm on the deaths of Lily and James. A modern version would protect the secrecy of the Potter Family's location, while the older version would be trusted to a different Secret Keeper. Even if the Potter's location was compromised, the Dark Lord would be unable to find or kill Harry, because he would be in whatever form was safest, with strong protections as well.

Lily had planned and schemed and suspected motives like a Slytherin. She was prepared to lay her life down for them like a Gryffindor. She would create a masterwork spell worthy of any Ravenclaw. In the end though, her motives were Hufflepuff in nature- cynical, brilliant, brave Lily Potter planned to lay down her life for love.

AN: Okay, I finally started writing again after literally years of not doing so. I expect to continue this. I appreciate support, so reviews will help inspire me to keep writing, and not get distracted again. I'd appreciate a Beta who can edit for flow, and if someone feels inspired to make an image for the story, I'd be grateful. I'd even dedicate a chapter to you (that goes for Betas, too). I don't have much written yet, but if you need some new books for your reading list, I have a pretty extensive lists of "Favorites" you can flip through.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Just playing in JK's sandbox. Some of these quotes are also straight from canon- you'll almost certainly be able to spot them. I'm a poor uni student, definitely not worth suing. I'm doing this for enjoyment, and receive no profit.

AN: Looking for a beta.

It had taken only a few weeks of work to design the spell based on the old specifications. The framework existed in the Arithmancy equations of the modern spell, part of the reason, Lily thought, that the modern version took so much technical skill to cast. The original spell was much, much more powerful, though very simplistic. It effectively created a magical construct in the ether with an imprinted impression, similar to a magical portrait, of those who wished to protect the child guiding its actions. Lily chose Sirius as the Secret Keeper for this Secret for the simple reason that his bond with Harry was as strong as James'. The stronger the bond, the more protective the imprint would be, she thought.

James insisted on Peter for the other spell, though. Lily was very wary of accepting him, especially when Dumbledore put his two cents in favour of the plan. However, she could not think of anyone else she trusted more. Lily really wasn't trusting by nature, and "degrees of distrust" just didn't make a strong enough argument against her husband's unquestioning support of his friend.

Both spells were cast, both sets of Secret Keepers sworn to secrecy. Only Sirius, James, and Lily knew there was a second Secret Keeper at all. Lily knew it was a good idea when, on the evening of Halloween, their world came crashing down.

They had been betrayed.

Though on the inside she was gibbering with fear, Lily stood tall against the threat. The sound of the Avada Kedavra told her she was now alone in the world, and she could only hope that the spell would hold- that, strengthened with her and James' deaths, her baby would be protected against the most feared Dark Lord of modern times.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" Lily begged. Even her dignity and pride were no loss, if she could secure the life of her child.

"Stand aside you silly girl … stand aside now." Voldemort said, and for an instant Lily considered it. Harry was already protected by the Fidelius- he could survive. Maybe. But no. She would not risk her child's life, not when her own could secure it.

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead! Not Harry! Please … have mercy … have mercy… " She begged, throwing herself forward, arms wide. Voldemort would have to remove her to get to her son.

He obliged. The last sight she saw was blinding green light- a wooshing sound- and she knew no more.

~~A few hours later~~

Dumbledore frowned as he heard Hagrid's report of the night's events. The big man had arrived to find the house half collapsed. James had been dead on the lower level, and Lily in front of the crib on the upper. Only robes and baby clothes remained of the Dark Lord and the boy prophesied to defeat him. A check of Hogwarts Book confirmed that there was no Harry Potter on the rolls anymore. The child was, undoubtably, deceased.

What had happened? This had not been the results the wise old man had expected. Where was the saviour he could place to his benefit? Was the Dark Lord's immortality attempts successful, and if so, who was to defeat him? Was the prophecy truly fulfilled so easily?

He sighed. He supposed he would never know. He turned to his paperwork, ignoring the celebrations. His heart felt sick at the thought of his manipulations leading to the death of a baby, as surely as if he had held the wand that had done the deed himself. His phoenix's trills reminded him of the Greater Good that had motivated him, but it was empty comfort.

~~Across the country~~

Sirius Black knew something was wrong when his routine check of Peter Pettigrew's home showed signs of him having rapidly departed. Just as he was about to check on the Potters, his whole world changed. Harry Potter had appeared right in front of him, a bleeding gash marking his forehead. Sirius knew instantly what that meant. He sunk to the ground, railing against the world.

Harry's crying roused him from his depression some minutes later. His first instinct was to go after the Rat, but the child in his arms called for his attention. Pettigrew would have to be taken care of by others. He had bigger things to do.

Sirius had only one sibling and a handful of cousins, all within three years of his age. Aside from the occasional afternoon babysitting Harry, his experience with children was nill. Not the less, he would do his best, in memory of the brother-in-spirit he had had in James.

First, he needed to secure his guardianship of Harry, and protect his identity. There were some benefits to being raised the pureblooded scion of a dark family. One of these was knowing how to set up a blood adoption ritual at short notice. A quick run to a local hardware store for a few candles, a needle, and some chalk later, Procyon Orion Regulus Black was made. The Fidelius immediately went to work, modifying memories, documents, and the Hogwarts book to match the new identity.

Sirius was already regretting his choice of name. Procyon meant Little Dog, and was one of the only constellations besides his own namesake he remembered from Astronomy. While its meaning was alright, it was a bit of a mouthful, and didn't lend itself well to nicknames. If he'd had more time...but he hadn't. Orion and Regulus, for his father and brother, neither of whom he would ordinarily name a dog for. Sirius had fully intended to be the last of the Blacks, considering it the best possible revenge on the family who had been as black as their name. That plan, too, was lost.

Baby goods were bought, and little Harry was settled in a corner of Sirius' bachelor pad. Arrangements would be made in the morning for a home. Sirius settled into a night of restless dreams of the Potters.

~~Early morning, November 1st~~

Sirius woke to the sound of fireworks, and a quick peek out his balcony showed that the sky was raining stars. Harry woke and began to cry. No- Sirius needed to call him by his new name, even in his mind, yet a glimpse from a Legilimencer reveal his identity. Occlumency shields were not fool proof, even augmented by Ministry-restricted rituals Sirius had used in his youth.

As Sirius rocked Ro (he'd decided it would do as a nickname, for the time being) to sleep, he reflected on where he should go from here. He had inherited Grimmauld Place from his recently deceased mother. While a very dark house with bad memories for him, it was one of the most secure homes in the Wizarding World. It's wards surpassed even Hogwarts, partially because it didn't cover as much area, and partially because each generation added layers of protection.

Every Black could qualify for the first few levels of Warding apprentice before arriving at Hogwarts simply from the experience gained from strengthening the wards almost daily from childhood. Sirius had found it was a habit that carried into adulthood. Even in Hogwarts, he had not felt secure sleeping without a few wards he strengthened religiously for several minutes each morning. Though he never mentioned it, most of his roommates figured out his part of the room was warded, if only for their inability to cross his bounds if they had ill intentions, even if they were just planning a prank. Had any of them meant harm to him...well, Sirius would have been explaining the exploded body of a classmate before the Wizengamot.

Ro was also now the Black heir in blood as well as name. Entailed properties, titles, and holdings Sirius would have been unable to pass to him otherwise had now become his birthright. Sirius found it was suddenly much harder to make a decision to completely sacrifice the traditions of generations when he had a son to think of. Ro would have to interact at the highest echelons of society. He, more than most Black heirs, would need to be able to defend himself. Sirius had never opposed Dark Magic, having practised it himself from an early age, but avoided it for expedience. He found it a hard time anyway to fit in among the Light families who shared his political views on rights, if not on magic. While he had no intention of letting his son become a blood snob, he should still know his history.

The decision was made. Sirius would come back to the traditional seats of the Black House.

"KREACHER!" He shouted. Immediately, Ro returned from the sniffles to full blown wailing.

With a pop, Kreacher appeared. Taking in the wailing child, he immediately took charge. "There, there little Black Lord." A snap of fingers summoned a bottle and milk, and a second snap warmed them. He retrieved the child from Sirius, inserted a bottle, and only then looked to his "master" disapprovingly.

"Has the nasty Blood Traitor master finally done his duty then? Produced an heir? Kreacher is pleased, Kreacher is."

Sirius took a deep breath, and calmed his temper. "I do have an heir, Kreacher, and I'll thank you not to speak of me in such terms in front of him. We will be returning to Grimmauld Place tomorrow. By that time, I expect it to be in a state to be lived in. Any object that is a risk to a child should be moved or destroyed, as appropriate. Prepared at least three bedrooms, including the Master Suite and Heir's Suite, and close off the excess, making sure to do the appropriate preservation rituals to ensure they can be opened as needed in the future. All common areas of the house should be restored to a condition I can make use of them safely. Buy appropriate numbers of elves to run the place. A nanny, cook, and maid, at the least. You have permission to access my Gringott's vault for that purpose. Notify the portraits of the return of the family, and deliver calling cards for polite society, letting them know of my reentrance, and the public introduction of my heir."

Sirius had a plan. Lily and James were no longer around, but that just made it more important for him to make Procyon's childhood the best he could manage. He would raise their son to be a man they could be proud of. He would be cultured, educated, well-connected, and have all the advantages birth could offer him. A private muggle elementary school would keep him grounded, unprejudiced, and well rounded. Sirius would also love him as best he could, in memory of the friends he loved, and tell him stories of how they watched over him still.

AN: The next chapter should take us through Hogwarts, which is when the fun really begins.


End file.
